Treasurer Wayne Swan has vowed the federal government will do "everything" in its power to stop the Queensland government's proposed health reforms.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has announced a new high-level body will be set-up to scrutinise private health investment in Queensland's health services as part of a "blueprint'' for reform.

Mr Swan claims the reforms effectively mean some Queensland hospitals will be privatised, while nursing jobs in the community sector will be lost.

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‘‘The essence of Medicare is a commitment to quality healthcare through free public hospitals,’’ he said on Wednesday afternoon.

‘‘I believe that is directly under threat here in Queensland.’’

He promised the federal government would do ‘‘everything it possibly can’’ to stop the proposed changes.

‘‘We will do everything we can within the legal framework that we have signed with these governments to stop these things from happening,’’ he said.

‘‘But at the end of the day these governments are pursuing an agenda which is opposed to the fundamental principles of Medicare and I believe the Australian people have a strong view in support of Medicare, of free public hospitals, the capacity to go to a doctor and get access to medical services when you need them.

‘‘Well, on the hospital front they are threatening them.’’

A new Ministerial Health Infrastructure Council will be set up within Queensland Health under the LNP’s ‘‘blueprint for better healthcare’’ launched at a lunch on Wednesday.

Mr Springborg said the new body would ‘‘assess the ideas that come to us’’.

‘‘It will be set up in my portfolio and it will he easy to use,'' he said.

He said he expected cabinet to review early expressions of interest - described as "market soundings" - on the future of the Royal Children's Hospital at Bowen Hills - in October 2013 and hope to put the concept to tender in early 2014.

It is hoped this area could provide additional elective surgery area for southeast Queensland.

The Queensland Government plans to ask for expressions of interest from the private sector to build a new surgical procedures centre on the site of the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Private sector bids will be verified by a second new body, called the Contestability Branch, also to be set up in Queensland Health.

Staff have already received a briefing covering Health Minister Lawrence Springborg's announcement about how the private sector and not-for-profit agencies will become more involved in providing health services.

Mr Springborg and Premier Campbell Newman are outlining more details about the plan at the Liberal National Party hosted lunch at the Sofitel.

Guests have paid up to $200 each to hear the plan.

Mr Newman said Queensland Health had been on its deathbed, kept going only by staff in hospitals and health care centres.

‘‘We will not stand by year after year as health care budgets blow out,’’ he said.

Mr Springborg has set the tone early in his speech.

‘‘I don't see myself as the public health minister. I am the Health Minister of Queensland," he said, criticising unions for opposing greater private sector involvement in health services.

Earlier, Mr Newman said the health blueprint was the LNP's approach to making changes to the system.

‘‘This blueprint is a step along the way to restoring the credibility to our health system,'' he said.

One of the proposals is to invite ‘‘market soundings’’ for a surgical procedures centre at the children’s hospital in May.

The government hopes to take expressions of interest in October and then request tenders for the project in January.

Mr Springborg spoke of what he called public, private and not-for-profit sector partnerships while previewing the blueprint on Tuesday.

‘‘Our proposal at the moment is to look at where we have new opportunities,’’ he said.

‘‘Such as the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, such as we may do with the re-development of the Royal Children’s Hospital and how we can develop whole new suites of free public health services in Queensland efficiently.’’

The government has released key features for its plan ahead of the lunch including:

Restructuring Queensland Health’s corporate office to make it 43 per cent smaller;

Streamlining staff awards and entitlements;

Transferring senior officers to ‘competitive contracts’ in line with ‘‘international best practice’’;

An audit of the partnership model used with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital - which the University of Queensland has withdrawn from;

Expressions of interest for the ‘latent’ space at the Gold Coast University Hospital;

A newly created Mental Health Commission;

A rural tele-health service; and

Banning ambulance bypass and implementing new procedures for ambulance access to emergency departments.

Reaction

The Queensland Australian Medical Association has tentatively welcomed the plan.

President Dr Alex Markwell said “on the surface” the government’s blueprint looked ‘‘like a positive step for Queenslanders” but wanted to study the details closely, including how the consolidation and simplifying of workplace awards would be handled.

“The transparency and accountability around improved reporting is a big tick but the challenge will be to ensure that we are reporting on the right things so Queenslanders can get a true reflection of our health system,” Dr Markwell said in a statement.

“The mechanism to allow health employees to report unnecessary waste and make suggestions to improve the system bypassing bureaucracy is also a positive note.”

Dr Markwell said expanded partnerships between private and not-for-profit sectors and the public sector would be supported as long as “strict accountability” was maintained.

“All in all, the document looks to be on the right track but a strategy is only as good as its implementation. The Health Minister has talked the talk, now it is time to walk the walk,” Dr Markwell said.

The blueprint has been condemned by the nurses union. Secretary Beth Mohle says the union recognises the need for the public and private sectors to work more closely together.

But it’s very concerned about the impact the blueprint will have on jobs, conditions and pay.

Ms Mohle says there’s no guarantee that if services are outsourced union members will be paid the same wage.

‘‘We’re concerned about our members’ job security and also what it will mean for health services for the community,’’ she said.

‘‘A privatised system we believe could end up meaning much greater out-of-pocket expenses for the community.’’

‘‘We see this as a direct attack on the integrity of the system,'' she said.

Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk called the plan "the first wave of privatisations" planned by the government.

Ms Palaszczuk accused the government of wanting to keep the final Costello Audit report ‘‘hidden’’ as it would recommend further privatisation.

‘‘The LNP’s blueprint is a recipe for handing over the hospital system belonging to Queenslanders to private conglomerates which will put profits before patients," Ms Palaszczuk said in a statement.

“Today’s LNP fundraising lunch, subsidised by taxpayers, confirms the Newman Government is Americanising our free hospital system built through decades of investment by Queensland taxpayers.’’

Bridie Jabour, Tony Moore and Amy Remeikis with AAP

77 comments

Do I read this correctly? Guests are paying the LNP $200 a head to hear an announcement about Government plans for health reforms?

How corrupt is this government? How much contempt does this show for the people of Queensland?

Commenter

Disgusted

Location

Ashgrove

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 1:56PM

Agree whole-heartedly, Disgusted. It seems incredibly unethical for a political party to profiteer from performing a normal function of government (ie. a departmental policy announcement). Government policy on healthcare is fundamentally of PUBLIC interest, that interest shouldn't be used to boost the coffers of a political party.I look forward to reading the figures relating to elective surgery waiting lists in 12 months, given several hospitals I know have ordered cuts in elective surgery by more than half until at least July. They're also not accepting Cat 3 outpatient referrals. Such patients that have been referred by GPs won't even appear on the waiting list until they've been seen in outpatients until after that date. Despite this, Newman & Springborg are backslapping about the "great progress" made in Qld Health already. Including the improvement in ED waiting times in the last 12 months, a direct result of the implementation of NATIONAL Emergency Access Targets (ie a Federal initiative).

Commenter

Harsh Reality

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 2:37PM

God are you really that naive? Labor had these lunches all the time..its just a way of gathering those who might be interested in the details of the initiatives...just think if they weren't asked to pay..then you would say they were lobbying. Get real for heaven's sake ..this is the real world and the Public Service has, rightly, very little to do with it.

Commenter

Liz

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 2:42PM

These are fundraisers for the party, all political parties have them as they fund the running of the running of the party itself. Would you prefer legislation changes to be made so taxpayers pay for the running of all aspects of all political parties? I thought not.

Commenter

Oscar

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 3:02PM

Yes Liz, Labor pulled a lot of stunts but I do not recall a single instance when they dared to try something like this.I am not naive Liz. I work in a reasonably senior position in a US$60 billion company. The ethics training all our staff complete every year specifically tells us to avoid any situation like this.

Commenter

Disgusted

Location

Ashgrove

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 3:29PM

As we are all paying considerably more than $200 per head for the services of this rabble it might be a courtesy for them to announce their intentions to their employers, i.e. us, before the anointed few.

Commenter

bookish

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 3:43PM

Oscar, health policy announcements don't seem like internal party business to me.

Commenter

bookish

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 4:09PM

Liz - wrong. Labor banned them some years ago.There is a big difference between a party fund raiser and public policy announcements.This practice is bad, very bad, for our state and country.

Commenter

Lenny

Location

Margate

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 4:18PM

@Oscar Yes, I would rather that taxpayers pay for the running of all aspects of political parties (apart from a minimal amount raised by a maximum $50 annual membership fee/donation). That is the only way I can be sure that my vote is of equal value to someone else's vote, even when they have a lot more money than me. The whole deal would cost less that $50 million a year (out of a national government budget of over $300bn), we'd have more productive election campaigns and a government less influenced by big business.

Funding would be allocated to each party or independent based on previous election results.

Commenter

Robertito

Location

Annerley

Date and time

February 27, 2013, 4:25PM

Oh here comes Liz and Oscar. The king and queen of the disinformation branch. All parties do it they say. Where's your evidence of this? I've never heard of the ALP charging $200 a head for a policy initiative launch. You're confusing a party fundraising lunch/dinner with an actual policy announcement. If the ALP do this as well then it should be criminalised. The running of the running of the party machine. What a joke. Typical disinformation attempt at distracting from the argument at hand. I wonder how long it will be until mh arrives to back you up. Split personality must be a dream for you. Do you get 3 pay checks too?